A Troubled Intern's Past
by disneydork29175
Summary: Maren, an intern for the W. A. R. K, Fouke, Arkansas radio station, has had a troubled past. Read to see how a sweet, innocent little six year old became an intern for a ruthless radio show crew and much more. Told from Maren's point of view.
1. Before it all went wrong

**_Hello again, this is a new story based off a character in my drama club play called, The Bloody Radio Murders. It's a back story on the intern for the radio station W. A. R. K Fouke, Arkansas. She is also known as someone else, but, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. The play is set in the 1930's and she was 16 in the play. So this will take place between 1914 and 1930._**

Chapter 1: Before it all went wrong

The first six years of my life were relatively normal. I grew up a normal child. My mother was trying to get her dress designing business off the ground. But, no one was taking her seriously. After all, this was Arkansas in the 10's, women didn't have equal rights and, although my mama was a headstrong individual, even she had trouble negotiating with the big men that often scared me. My father wasn't around a lot. Mama said not to complain, because daddy brought in most of the money that keeps food on the table and clothes on my back. I didn't like the thought of being hungry and cold, so I didn't complain and instead enjoyed every moment that I could with my daddy. He was very protective of me and mama. And loving. He was always up for a game of checkers or hide and seek and never said no when I asked for a piggyback ride. Although mama may have scolded me at times daddy always laughed and said that she was just doing it because she loved me. I never believed him, but I never said that out loud. My favorite part of daddy being home is when I fell asleep in his arms and he'd carry me to bed. That always made me feel happy and it's what made me look forward to the day that he came back.

Finally, one sunny day in June, when mama picked me up from my friend Samantha's she greeted me with a big smile on her face. When I asked why she looked so happy, she laughed and picked me up

"My dear daughter, I had to pick a few bones, but I did it!" she said. "Mama has her own business!"

"You mean it? Really!" she nodded. I hugged her tighter than I ever had and she laughed.

"Oh Maren, you don't know how long I have waited for this day!"

"A million billion jillion years?"

She laughed, "Close. Ever since I was a little girl in Russia I've dreamed for this day."

"When are you going to tell daddy?"

"As soon as he gets home! He'll be so happy!"

"When can I see the store?"

"You can come see it tomorrow. I've been working to the bone to get it clean and get all my materials in. All it needs is a fresh coat of paint and the greatest little cleaning crew in all of Arkansas and it should be ready to open next week. I hope your father can see it before its open."

"Can I help paint it?"

Again she laughed, "Maybe. I might need some help with unpacking and other things too. But I'll think about it."

By this time, we had walked to our street. In our driveway, waiting for us, was my daddy.

"DADDY!" I screamed. I wriggled until mama put me down then I started running towards him. He turned and scooped me up.

"Guess what guess what guess what!"

"What?"

"Mama got her business!"

By this time, mama had caught up with me. Daddy looked at her bewildered. "Really?"

"I was going to tell you, but your little baby can't keep a secret!"

"This is great!" he looped one arm around her waist and brought her in to the family hug.

"Mama's going to bring me there tomorrow and I'm going to help her clean and I might even get to paint! Paint daddy paint! Are you going to come too?"

"Maybe. That depends on whether your mama wants me to."

"Of course you can come!"

"Yay! Daddy's coming tomorrow! Daddy's coming tomorrow!" I wriggled out of his arms and started to run around the driveway. While I was doing this, mama was talking to daddy.

"See how happy she is? She's never this happy when you aren't around."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you should stay here longer before going out on your next mission. Trenchy, listen to me. Now that I have a business, I can sustain the family, or at least half of it. Now you can go on fewer missions and stay home with your family."

"Caramia, you know that I can't do that. If I settle down, the government may find me. Then I'd have to go to jail and miss out on possibly Maren's whole life! You don't want that to happen, do you?"

"No, but-"

"No buts! I am lucky to see you and Maren once a month! If I am in jail, I will not get to see you for weeks at a time!"

"We would make it work! Maren and I could come and see you every weekend."

"Do you really think Maren will enjoy going to prison every weekend?" he yelled. "Will she enjoy seeing her father behind bars? Will she like never being able to hug her daddy again? No. She will hate it, I can tell you that!" Caramia turned away from him, as if that last comment had been a slap. Seeing that he had hurt his wife, Trenchy softened his tone and his volume. "Caramia, I'm doing this for the good of my family. I always have and I always will."

She turned back. "Promise that you are doing this for the good of your family, and for no other reason. Promise that you will come home safe."

He nodded, "I promise. I promise on my honorable name."

"Honorable?"

"Fine, I swear on the name Trenchy Mouthscam that I am doing this only for my family and that I will return safely."

"Good."

Hearing that the fight was over, I came bounding over. "Daddy, you are definitely coming tomorrow, right?"

He gave mama a look and she nodded her head. "Of course, pumpkin. I will be there tomorrow. I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

My grin felt like it was taking over my entire face.

"Maren, I have a present for you…"

"What? What is it what is it?"

"Yes Trenchy, what is it?"

He pulled out a rectangular box and opened it. Inside was a necklace with hard, pearly beads. My mama gasped.

"Honey, are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure, Maren is a big girl. She can handle this. Can't you Maren?

"Yes daddy! Thank you! This is the best present ever!"

He took it out of the box and fastened it around my neck. As he did, he spoke to my mother.

"Do you think that I actually forgot about you, Caramia? Why would I do that?"

He got up and took out a small square box. As he opened it, she gasped.

"Trenchy, they're beautiful!"

"Only the best for the best wife in the world."

"What is it? What are they? Can I see them?"

She took the box from my father and knelt down to show me. Inside the box, were the prettiest earrings that I had ever seen. A crystal blue orb was set in an intricate swirl. Well, I was 6 at the time and to me it was the most amazing thing that I had ever seen.

"Jeepers…"

Mama and Daddy laughed. "Ok now, we need to go inside and start dinner," said my mom, "then we can catch up with Daddy."

"Yay!" I said as I raced into the house.

**_Please review!_**


	2. What have I done to deserve this?

Chapter 2: What have I done to deserve this?

The night passed quickly and soon enough I was walking to my mama's new work place with my mama and daddy. I was skipping ahead until we reached Main Street. This is the street that mama told me that I wasn't allowed to walk down without her or Daddy. So I waited while they caught up. I looked around and on the side of a building; I saw what looked liked daddy's face on a WANTED poster. All I saw was that and maybe that's why I was startled when a very tall man with black hair bumped into me.

"Oh, little girl. I am sorry. Please forgive me," he said with a very strong Russian accent, "but I seem to have lost my way. Do you know where the police station is?"

"My mama said that I'm not allowed to talk to strangers."

"Very well, I will introduce myself then. I'm Ricky Washington. Or, at least that's my name now."

"What was your name before?"

"Rekyavik Chikyaviak."

"That's a funny name."

"It is isn't it?"

"I'm Maren, and the police station is right down the street. Why are you going there? Are you a criminal?"

"No, I'm a police officer and my job is here."

"My friend Samantha wants to be a police officer."

"Really, you don't say?"

"I do say!"

He laughed. "Well, what are you doing here in town all by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself! My mama and daddy are coming. We are going to see my mama's new business. She got a shop and now has her own business. She's a dress designer! She's right there." I pointed behind me to my mama, who was running up, daddy right behind. "Uh oh."

Mama scooped me up and kissed my forehead. "Don't run away like that ever again!"

"Mama! I was just waiting on the corner of the street! I was talking to him." I pointed up to Ricky and squirmed to get down. Mama let me down and offered him her hand. He took it and shook it.

"Hello, I'm Ricky."

"I'm Caramia." As she shook his hand, daddy came running up. "And this is my husband… Tom."

Daddy and Ricky shook hands. "Pleasure to meet you."

"You too. Your daughter was just telling me about your wife's new business. I wish you nothing but good luck with that."

"What is your occupation Mr. Washington?" my mama asked.

As he was about to answer, I answered for him, "He's a police officer! Like Samantha wants to be!"

My father visibly paled at this. "A police officer?"

"Yes sir," Mr. Washington said, "How about you, what is your occupation of choice?"

"I'm... a jeweler."

"Oh, that must be where you child got the lovely pearl necklace! It's very pretty on her. How can-" Just then, the church steeple struck ten o'clock. "Oh, goodness, is that the time? I'm sorry, but I really must be going. Good bye! Maybe we can meet again someday?"

"Yes, maybe. Goodbye now!" my mother said as Mr. Washington ran across the street.

"Bye-bye Mr. Washington!" I yelled after him.

"Please little girl, call me Mr. Ricky!"

"Ok Mr. Ricky!" When I turned to my parents, they weren't happy at all.

My daddy kneeled down real close next to me. "Maren, what do we always tell you about talking to strangers?"

"To not to. But daddy, this man was nice! He accidently bumped into me when I was staring at a poster. The man on the poster looked like you! By the way, what does WANTED mean? It was on the poster. Is that bad?"

My dad looked paler than ever before. "Honey, we need to get into your shop, now!" when I turned to see what he was looking at, I saw Mr. Ricky looking at the poster and then back our way and then back to the poster. He looked back and caught my gaze. Sadness was imminent in his eyes. I turned away, confused.

So my dad scooped me up and we all but ran to the shop. As my mother unlocked the door and turned on the lights, we could see that not much work was needed to be done to the store. Maybe some fresh coats of paint, a little dusting, get some more of mama's stuff in here and the store was ready to open. Mama locked the door behind us and retreated to the back room to get brooms, mops, brushes and paint. The paint color that she had chosen was a cheery turquoise blue. She handed me a broom and dust pan and told me to sweep the floor while she talked with my daddy. So I did. There was a lot of yelling from the back room so I asked if I could turn on the radio and sweep to music. Mama said yes so I did. I was finished with the floor and starting to get ready to mop when mama and daddy emerged from the back room.

"Wow! Great job Maren! The floor looks great! Now all you need to do is put a mop to it and watch it shine!" when she saw that I has already started to prepare it, she came over and hugged me. "I knew that I had taught you something in the past 6 years! When you finish, you can try your hand at painting!"

"She'll be the jack of all trades!" my father said happily.

Less than an hour later, I was done. Mama had just opened the can of paint when there was a knock at the door. It was Mr. Ricky. I went to my mom and said that Mr. Ricky was here. Her eyes widened and she told Daddy. He kissed her and hugged me and disappeared into the back room. Mama gave me a twenty dollar bill and told me that she loved me and to keep that safe. Then she took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Can I help you Mr. Washington?"

"Yes, is your husband here?"

"Uh, no, I don't think so."

"May I come in?"

"Um… yes, sorry. I'm just a little frazzled now."

"Oh, why's that? Did you just find out that your husband is an international jewel thief?"

"What? How dare you say that!"

"What, the truth?"

My mother never looked as shocked or sick as she did at that second. And broken. She definitely looked broken at that moment. At that moment, she collapsed to the floor crying. "Alright, it's true, I knew. But he's not here right now! I swear on my freedom that he isn't here right now!"

"Is that a bet that you'd be willing to make?"

"Did you not just hear the words come out of my mouth? Of course!"

"Then you wouldn't mind if we, let's say, searched the store?"

"What? You can't do that! You'd at least need a search warrant!"

"This is Arkansas lady, we don't need a search warrant! Come on in boys! The shop is open!"

The ground seemed to shake as at least twenty men came into the little shop. I screamed and hid under the table as the solder like men ransacked the little shop that my mama and I had worked so hard on. One of the men knocked the paint can that was still on the ground over. Another smashed my mama's favorite sewing machine. At that, she dove under the table with me and clung to me for dear life. I held on to mama and started to pray.

"Dear Lord in Heaven, please, make it stop! Make it stop Lord!"

And it did. For a moment. The moment when my world collapsed.

"I got him!" Mr. Ricky said from the back room. I opened my eyes and there was my father. Beaten, bruised, bloody. I nearly fainted at the sight of him. His hands were behind his back and he looked down, defeated. Mama screamed and did faint at the sight of him.

"Mama?" I said. "Mama?" I said, more panicked, my voice trembling. I gently slapped her face a couple of times to get her to come to.

"What happened? Where's Trenchy?" The sound of his name brought tears to my eyes and started a lump in my throat. I could only point a shaky finger in the direction before bursting out crying. As daddy was being led out, I got out from under the table and ran to my daddy, hugging his leg and refusing to let go.

"Don't leave daddy… I love you."

"I love you too pumpkin."

"I don't want you to leave anymore…"

"I have to go this time. Maren, listen to me, we'll meet again, someday. I know that we will. Be brave Maren, be brave…"

I held on tight and began to weep silently into his pant leg until someone pulled me forcibly off. Then, I had to watch as my father was led out the door. I turned away from the door, which was probably a big mistake because seconds later I heard someone shout, "He's getting away!" he must have gotten out of Mr. Ricky's grip and run through the back allies. Whatever he did, I knew that he would be alright. Then, I heard a scream come from my mama. As I turned, she was being ripped from the table that she had been holding onto for dear life in my place by Mr. Ricky.

"Next stop, jailhouse."

That's when I ran up to them. "But, she did nothing wrong!"

"Oh yes she did! She knew about a dangerous criminal and did nothing about it! That's a year in jail! And, since her husband got away, we're taking her in his place!"

My heart ripped in two, right then.

"No!" my mother screamed, "No! What about Maren!" She was shaking with emotion.

"Well, what a good idea, she can come too!"

"No!" mama screamed. "Not my baby! Don't take my baby!" as she was saying this, two men started advancing on me. I was scared.

"Maren! RUN!"

So I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I ran to the back room, jumped out the window and ran some more. Tears blurred my vision but I kept running. I ran out of the city limits, through the forest, and into the next town. I ran past all the people who were probably staring after me. I ran until I collapsed on the steps of their city hall. Then, I started weeping silently to myself.

What had I done to deserve this?

**_I can't believe I got this done in an entire day! Not even! Like 6 hours or something! Please review! More on the way! Read on!_**


	3. What now?

_**Third chapter up! Enjoy!**_

Chapter 3: What now?

Suddenly, a voice interrupted my self pity. A scream. Coming from the alley behind me. Then, more voices.

"We had a deal!" a boy's voice yelled. He had a strong New York accent, or at least an accent like the men from New York on the radio.

"I know! Just give us more time!" a different boy yelled this time.

"Please! Just a little more time!" a girl's shaky voice said. She had been crying, I could tell.

"I don't know boss," another girl's voice said, quieter, as if she could hear people listening, "We already gave them 3 weeks. That's enough time, don't ya' think?"

"Guys, just a little more time is all they need." Yet another girl spoke up, talking so quietly, that I had to strain to hear what she was saying. She and the girl that just spoke also had a New York accent.

"Fine." The boy with the accent said. "We'll give them more time…"

There was a sigh from the boy and girl, obviously the victims here.

Then, the accented boy spoke again. "Time's up! Olivia! Rachel! You take down the girl! This one's all mine." He was obviously talking about the boy, but I peered over the fence just to make sure. What I saw will scar me for life.

Two girls in brown were physically beating a girl dressed in a pink tutu type costume, aiming for her feet. A boy in a suit was attacking a boy in a leotard, a black one. I was watching the boys when I heard a sickening snap from the side of the alley that the girls were fighting on. Then a thud as something hit the ground. It was the girl in the tutu, which was now stained red with her own blood. She was in a heap at the ground and, with a final scream, she stopped moving.

"Mary!" the leotarded boy yelled. He pushed the man in the suit off him and ran over to the dead body.

"Don't worry," said one of the girls, "You'll be with her soon enough."

When the boy looked up, she fired a shotgun straight through his heart. He fell on top of the already dead girl, breathing his final words in a whisper so soft that I couldn't hear what he had said.

"Ehh, we was headed there anyway!" the other girl said.

"I must say, that was a very good shot Rachel." The boy said.

"I learned from the best."

They laughed. "Very true." The other girl, whose name must be Olivia, stated. "After all, Pat taught you and me. He might not have lots of brains, but he knows his way around a gun, that's for sure!"

It was all too much for me. They had just killed two innocent people, and now they were joking? What was this world coming to? I let out a strangled moan, and felt weak, dizzy almost. All three people left standing swiveled their heads to the source of the sound. The fervent anger that was present in their eyes made me snap out of my dizziness and weakness. I tried to hop down off the fence, but ended up falling on my face inside the alley. The boy, named Pat apparently, picked me up.

"Well well well, what have we here?"

"Looks like a spectator to me" Olivia said.

I couldn't help it. This was the second act of violence that I had witnessed today, I would probably never see my father or mother again, I had just run from the next town over into this one, and now these three people were going to hurt me.

"Please don't hurt me!" I cried. "I didn't mean to! I just heard someone yelling and-"

Olivia cut me off by slapping Pat on the back of the head. "I told you that we had to be quieter!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Hey!" Rachel interjected. "Both of you shut up! Let the girl speak!"

I was now visibly trembling in Pat's grip. These people were monsters! "And… I just wanted to know what happened. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Pat said. "Sorry doesn't get you away from the jailhouse!"

At the word jail, I started crying harder. The earlier events were coming back to me, filling up my head until it felt like it would burst! The group just looked at each other in confusion.

"What's the matta' with her?" Pat asked.

"What's the matter with her? She's a little girl all by herself in Arkansas! She probably hates the coppers!" Rachel said.

"Why?" asked Pat.

"Who knows!"

"They took away my mommy and daddy!" I said, and began to cry harder. "They were going to take me too, but my mama told me to run so I did. And they beat up my daddy and ransacked my mama's new dress shop and…" I started thinking about the man responsible, "and it's all Mr. Ricky's fault! Oh! I wish that there was no such thing as police officers!"

"You and me both kid," Olivia replied to this, "you and me both."

Rachel started questioning me immetially after Olivia said this. "Where did you live before you came here?"

"Arkansas?"

"Ok, what town?"

"Fouke, I think"

"You're in Fouke right now, so, no. Think harder."

"Hammons! That's it!"

"Good. Now, how old are you?"

"Why does it matter?" Olivia's voice in the background said.

"She ran from Hammons to Fouke! She's at least six-"

"Actually, I am six."

"She's six! She's six and she ran from Hammons to Fouke! She just witnessed a major crime, committed by us I may add, her mother and father got arrested, she almost did as well, and she escaped…

"Twenty."

"Twenty cops! She's six. She doesn't need any more abuse on her right now. No punishment."

"What!" Olivia and Pat said at the same time.

"You'd really give her a punishment after all that?"

"I…" the argument won itself. "Fine. But, what do we do with her?"

"Introduce us, I guess." Olivia stepped forward. She put out her hand for it to be shaken.

"I'm Olivia."

Shakily, I shook it. "I know."

She looked at me, confused.

"When he told you to get the other girl, he said 'Olivia! Rachel!' So I figured that your name was either Olivia or Rachel. And after the firing of the shot gun by Rachel, the boy said 'Good shot Rachel'. You didn't fire the gun, so that meant that you were Olivia." Then I pointed to Rachel. "And you are Rachel." Finally, I pointed to Pat. "When Olivia said that Rachel learned from the best, she said that you didn't have a lot of brains, but you knew your way around a gun, whatever that means. So, I figured that you were the person who taught her, so your name must be Pat."

He just stared at me. Then, he broke out into a grin. "Wow, I could have never done that when I was six," Olivia was going to say something, but he put up a hand to silence her. "What's your name kid?"

"Maren." I said, addressing all of them. "And, I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

"Neither do we." Pat said. "Well, I guess we find some more suckers to play for their money."

"What about the kid?" Olivia said.

"We can't just leave her here by herself!" Rachel said.

"Why not?" Pat asked, earning him a slap on the head from both girls at the same time. "Ow!"

"Cause she's a kid, stupid!" Rachel said harshly.

"What if she came with us?" Olivia suggested.

"That's not a bad idea!" Rachel agreed, taking Olivia's side without question. "It would make us seem less threatening!"

"But, what if people ask who's it is?" Pat pointed out.

"Easy," Rachel said, "Yours and Olivia's."

"What? Why?" both said at the same time.

"Well, you're the obvious couple! Besides, you can always say that you adopted her. She even kind of looks like you."

They all immediately looked to me. I just waved and managed a 'hi'. I honstally thought that they had forgotten about me. I didn't see the remblesense, but I was happy that they would let me stay. Then, Pat came over and kneeled in close, like my daddy use to.

"Can you act like I'm your dad?" he said.

I nodded.

"Then, I guess you can stay."

I brightened up at this. A grin took over my face and I threw my arms around him and hugged him. With such force, apparently, that I knocked him to the ground. Olivia and Rachel laughed.

"Taken down by a six year old," Rachel teased, "Fatherhood is getting to you, Pat!"

"Ha ha ha." Pat grumbled in a sarcastic tone. He pushed me off and got to his feet. "Come on kid, you're with us now."

He put his arm around me and all four of us walked out of the alley.

_**Personal thanks to Maren for whipping me until I wrote this. *whip cracks* OW! Hey!**_

**_Review!_**

**_NO WHIPS!_**

**_MAREN: Awwww! No fair! Ah! I know... *starts rummaging through closet*_**

**_THAT'S DOUBLE FOR FLAMETHROWERS! TRIPLE FOR CARDBOARD GUNS WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE!_**

**_MAREN: OH COME ON!_**

**_;D Works every time! =D_**


	4. Training

_**Father of Maren: Give me one reason not to sic Maren on you!  
Em: Uh, new chapter?  
Father of Maren: You're lucky you're cute!**_

Chapter 4: Training

I'd like to say that, when I met the dancers, my life became perfect. I'd like to say that they were always there for me and always understood what I was going through. I'd like to say that I lived "happily ever after." But I didn't. Yes, I was close to them, but, they never seemed to understand. They tried, and they were loving when they wanted to be. But, they were criminals! Love and compassion only goes so far with them. But, if there was one thing that they taught me, it was how to fight and defend.

You couldn't grow up in a family of gangsters without learning how to fight! It was against Gangster Law! Yes, even gangsters have laws. Olivia and Rachel were the ones who really wanted to teach me. They were worried about the future, like how much longer Pat would put up with me before he kicked me out. So, as soon as we got to the abandoned apartment building that would be home to me for quite a while, they took me aside and told me about what they had planned.

"Kid, you need to know how to get ahead in this world." Olivia started. "There are some pretty nasty people out there, and if you're not careful, you could get mixed up with them."

"So," Rachel continued, "we are gonna teach you how to defend yourself. Watch Olivia with Pat."

"What?" Pat asked, not overhearing everything.

"Oh, we just need you for a little demonstration. No big deal." Rachel mused, trying hard to hold back the laughs that were trying to push past her lips. "Just stand there and do what you need to do." She pointed to a spot by the wall and Pat walked to that spot, backed turned. Olivia and Rachel sniggered silently behind him. He turned and faced them, a confused look on his face.

"Now what?" Pat asked.

"Just stay there!" Olivia said, then she turned to Rachel. "Why don't you describe the situation for her?"

"Gladly. So, you tumble down a mysterious dark alley-"

"Just like I did!" I interrupted.

"Yes, like you. But, instead of dancers with a leader who's a softie,"

"I resent that!" Pat yelled and Rachel and Olivia just rolled their eyes.

"There's a bad man down the alley, one who wants to hurt you. So Olivia will demonstrate what you should do in this situation." Pat only overheard the last part.

"What situation? What exactly am I doing?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Rachel said mysteriously. "Olivia, you may begin."

"With pleasure…" Olivia started walking towards him. I couldn't see her face, but it must have looked rather scary, because Pat started backing up.

"Oh no. No no no no! I'm not doing this! I q-"but before the vowel could escape his lips, Olivia lunged for his neck and got him in a chokehold. "What the heck am I supposed to do?"

"Fight back you idiot!" Rachel screamed over the noise that Olivia was making.

Pat managed to kick out one of Olivia's legs from under her, causing her to fall. As she fell to the ground, she let go of Pat's neck. Pat scrambled to get up, but, once he did, Olivia pulled the same trick that he did to her. He fell on top of her.

"Very original!" Pat mocked. He then grabbed her wrists. Olivia struggled for a little while, then gave up and kneed Pat in the groin. With a scream of agony, his hands flew from her wrists to his delicate organ. Olivia used this opportunity to grab a small can of Mace and spray it in his face. Another scream.

"Jesus Christ woman! Where the hell did you get the Mace?"

"I know a guy." Olivia smirked and kicked him off of her. While he was recovering, she took a scarf out of a coat pocket and wrapped it loosely around her neck. Confused, I looked to Rachel who was smiling. I looked back. Pat, who was still on the ground, wiped the Mace out of his eyes and glared at Olivia. His eyes widened when he saw the scarf.

"Oh no." he whispered, barely audible. He started moving backwards as she took the scarf off her neck, crawling as she walked towards him. He was scrambling to get up. Olivia just picked up the pace. He had gotten off the ground and was starting to run when Olivia took a flying leap with the scarf in front. The scarf middle took hold of his neck and choked him as she pulled back with the two ends. She drew him closer until his back was to her stomach.

"Say it." She hissed into his ear.

"Mercy…" Pat gasped. She let go of one end of the scarf and pushed him to the ground. Then she turned to us, a smile upon her face.

"And this is around the time that you walk out of the alley and never go near another one again. Oh," she held up the scarf with a grander smile, "and always, no matter what, have a scarf."

"Wow… are you gonna teach me all that?"

"That and more my friend!" Rachel said, excited. "You see, we know a lot more than Pat thinks we do…"

"What?" Pat said, a little dazed from what just happened. Olivia proceeded to laugh at him.

"So we are gonna teach you that as well! You see, in our 24 years on this crappy planet, we had to learn to fend for ourselves. We each have our reasons for being here. Basically, abandonment. By choice, not force. But, we survived it, and you will too! Now, the first lesson will begin-" A loud groan from Pat made her pause. "They will begin once Pat is done recovering." Olivia laughed.

"Thank you…" Pat said.

"Which most likely means that we will start in about 2 hours."

Pat groaned and collapsed again. Everyone laughed at that comment.

"Hey, she's saying that you are tough as… well you're tough." Olivia was laughing really hard now at Rachel's attempt to comfort Pat. A glare from Rachel shut her up.

I went over to Pat. "Are you ok?"

He smiled at me. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I hugged him. He looked slightly taken aback by this. Feeling him tense, I let go. "Sorry…" He just looked away. Tears were beginning to prick my eyes. Rachel and Olivia noticed right away.

"No more of those!" Olivia said. "You've cried enough for one day!"

I smiled in spite of myself. Olivia was right! I had cried enough for one day. So, I put on my brave face and simply said, "Shall we begin?"

* * *

2 years later…

* * *

"YAHHHH!" I cried as I swiftly kicked Pat in the stomach, sending him flying across the room. Rachel and Olivia stood off to the side, watching. Pat simply got back up and ran towards me, trying to return the move that I gave him, except making it a side kick, so I would fall to the ground. But, I simply grabbed his leg from under his knee, picked him up and threw him over my shoulder so he landed on his back. He landed hard, so hard that everyone winced at the sound he made once he hit the floor. I looked to Olivia and Rachel. They were looking at each other, silently saying, "where the heck did she learn that?" Pat muttered a curse under his breath and came at me again, running straight towards me. He was going fast enough, so I stepped out of his way, not bothering to stop him. He couldn't stop and ran into "The Wall." It's been many a times stained with blood of various people, some not even in our "family"! But we can always get it out. (Spud Cola takes the blood right out!)

"Is that all you got old man?" I taunted him, encouraged by Olivia who was laughing and cheering.

"Hey, you want a challenge, fight Olivia or Rachel!"

"Ha! Like they'd ever want to fight…" I suddenly yelped in pain as my arm was twisted painfully behind my back. By Rachel no doubt. She could always do that the best for some reason. My suspicions were conformed when Olivia came out in front of me and got to my eye level.

"If you think that you can beat us, you are very sadly mistaken. Is that clear?"

I knew this one; she had used this before, in training. If there's two or more people, teaming up. And I answered, the way she taught me.

"Kiss. My. Sorry. Ass." Then I spit in her face and elbowed Rachel in the ribs, releasing me. I got some distance away. I had beaten Olivia once, Rachel a few times, and Pat… well, many many _many_ times. But, Rachel _and_ Olivia? Not to mention Pat was joining in as I was thinking! This would be a challenge. But, hey, I like challenges. I'm a smart cookie.

Take 'em out, one by one. Pat first, no duh.

I faced all of them, our bodies making a rhombus from a bird's point of view. Pat was in the middle, like always. I scanned the room. Newspapers… Dirty clothes… Half bottle of poison (don't ask)… Chains… Chains! That's it! He'd never get out of those! I walked right up to him. He smirked, thinking that this would be easy. Nothing's ever easy when it comes to me. Olivia was lunging for me. I dropped to the ground as Olivia flew over me, knocking Rachel to the ground. Pat, the only one left standing, soon joined them on the ground, taken out by the coffee grinder. I've been incorporating dance into more and more of my fighting moves. I picked him up, as if he weighed nothing, and dropped him into the pile of chains. He was instantly tangled. Rachel was coming for me now. I kept my back turned until just the right time.

Closer… closer…

She grabbed my arm. I flipped her over my shoulder, into the chains. She didn't get tangled very easily, but, as she came up for the counter attack, she tripped. On marbles. Set by yours truly. I smirked, that Christmas money had been off good use.

Olivia on the other hand, would be harder to beat, she was faster, stronger, smarter (than Pat anyway), and she wouldn't fall for any tricks that I pulled. I don't know if she noticed, but I was wearing my scarf today. Red, blood red. And silky too.

I swiveled to face her. Words couldn't describe the look on her face, except maybe for one. Priceless.

"Don't go easy on me this time Livi, ok?" That got her mad. She hates that nickname, especially the way I say it.

"Oh, I won't Maren. I can promise you that." She sashayed towards me, then, started running. I knew what she was pulling. Her "Leap of Death". Or, in this case, "Leap of Near Fatal Injury". I had to time this just right…

She was flying closer and closer now, her hands out stretched towards me. I stepped to the side and got a little ways behind her. Then, with a flourish, I took off my short scarf and wrapped the middle around her neck, like she had done with Pat so many years ago.

"Say it." I hissed into her ear.

"Never." She choked with a smirk.

I flipped her over and dropped her to her ground, doing a perfect spilt and landing on top of her gracefully. I tightened my hold around the scarf, then gave some slack. Just as I predicted, Olivia reached to yank the scarf off her neck.

_Perfect…_

I took out a can of Mace. Olivia's eyes widened at the sight of it. She struggled to get out from under me, but I pinned her arms. With a smirk, I sprayed the can right into her face. She bit her lip, trying to keep the scream inside. I bit one end of the scarf (since the other was stuck between Olivia and the floor) and pulled up. She started choking again.

"Say it…" I said.

She blew up a stray piece of hair that was caught in her eyes. Color was draining from her face. Finally, she whispered the word.

"Mercy."

"Oh, louder Livi, louder!"

Her glare would have had me dead where I stood if looks could kill, but she yelled it. "MERCY!"

"Thank you." I released the scarf and threw the can to the side. Then, I got out of my split, waiting to see what would come next. As I turned to see the faces of Pat and Rachel. Stunned pretty much describes their faces. Stunned and proud. I smiled at them. I could hear Olivia charging behind me. I quickly turned around, grabbed her arm, and flipped her over onto her back. I bent over so that we were almost face to face.

"I thought you said 'Mercy'? Whatever happened to that?"

She just smiled and said, "Just testing you. Now help me up before I get out the flaming arrows of death." I laughed. Flaming arrows of death was our inside joke. One day, Rachel came home with arrows (to this day I still have no idea why) and a lighter. Of course, I wanted to try them right away. So did Pat. So Pat, being a "responsible adult" got to try them first. Guess where he aimed. Well, Olivia… actually, need I say more? Anyway, long story short, the arrow went way off course, and the youngest person there ended up feeling warm and fuzzy inside. And, it didn't actually hurt all that much. But it always cracks me up. I helped her up and she joined Rachel and Pat.

"So, what did you guys think?"

"I will think whatever you want me to say as long as I don't have to get hurt again by you." Pat said. Everyone laughed.

"I'm serious."

Everyone laughed harder.

"Kid, I think you got the smarts and skill to take down the gangsters in the Bronx!" Olivia exclaimed.

I gasped. The Bronx gangsters were the worst! When Olivia was living there as a dancer, she fought one and gave him a pretty bad scar from a knife fight!

"Come on kid, we're meeting our new dancers today, and you're coming." Rachel said.

"Really?" I exclaimed. They never let me meet the dancers, they'd just leave me here to practice dancing and fighting with Pat.

"Yeah, we're finally giving Pat a break." Olivia said as she got on her coat.

"Yes!" Pat exclaimed. We all stared at him. "What? I'm tired of getting beat up by an eight year old!"

"Yeah, but it had helped you improve your fighting skills!" Olivia pointed out. I giggled. She had a point.

"Why you!"

"Yeah yeah, save it for the dancers! Come on kid, let's go. Pat, you're in charge of keeping an eye on Maren"

"What?" he shouted.

Olivia turned to him, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "Pat…"

He groaned. "Fine…" I skipped out the door followed by Rachel, Pat, and Olivia. We walked down the stairwell, me rambling none stop about what I was gonna do. We got to the bottom and Olivia opened the door. There, she was met with two men, one tall with light brown hair and stone grey eyes and one short and plump with orangish hair and green eyes.

"Hello Olivia…" The tall one said menacingly.

"D-Dutch?" Olivia asked, stuttering. She never stuttered! I moved closer to her.

"Yeah that's right, it's me. and you remember Curly of course."

"How ya' been doll?" the short man said.

Olivia clenched her fists. Pat turned her away and Rachel tried to calm her down. "They're not worth it Olivia, they're slime bags, they aren't worth it!"

"Hey, I remember you!" Dutch went over to Pat. "You're the one that little miss Olivia left me for!"

"That's impossible Dutch." Pat said calmly.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"She was never with you." He said like he was talking to 5-year olds. He was talking to them like he talked to me when we first met!

"You little…" Curly started. He started over to Pat, fists raised. I held on to Olivia's leg.

Dutch put one hand up to stop Curly. "Wait a minute, what have we here…" he moved closer to Olivia and knelt down next to me. I buried my head into Olivia's pant leg, scared of this man. I mean, if he could make Livi nervous, I didn't want to find out what he could do.

He looked from me, to Livi, to Pat, then back to me. Then he chuckled, soft and menacing.

"That was awfully quick Olivia. I thought you would have waited a while before you treated yourself with… that. You know what can happen. You become, _blessed_," He grabbed my arm and tore me away from Olivia. "With a, wonderful gift." I struggled to get out of his grasp, but it was increasing by the second. He grabbed my chin so that I was looking into his eyes. There was strange blend of emotion in them, hunger and a sick form of love.

He looked back to Olivia. "If she grows up to be anything like you, she could be of great use to me…"

"Don't you dare Dutch!" Pat yelled.

"Pat! Don't!" Olivia shouted. Rachel tightened her hold on Livi.

"Yes Pat, don't!" Dutch said, imitating Olivia. He drew out a piece, a nice handgun. "We wouldn't want to take any drastic matters…" he continued, his tone becoming darker with each syllable.

"Maren!" Rachel shouted. "Run!"

Dutch's grip on my arm tightened. I thought about everything I learned in the past two years and I did what came naturally in this situation. I lifted up my foot and slammed it down on his. He yowled and released my arm and the gun. I grabbed the gun and ran past everyone. I stuffed the gun into one of my pockets and sped up. I was just around the corner of the block when I heard a gunshot and a scream. I willed myself to run faster.

I kept running and eventually turned into the woods that bordered the town in the west. For a split second I looked back, my dark brown hair blinding my vision. Then I felt my foot catch on something. My body went flying forward and I rolled on the ground for five or ten feet. I sat up, both my knees bloody, my hands scraped, and my face stained with tears and dirt. I rubbed my eyes to clear them and something caught my gaze in the distance. I got up and walked cautiously forward as the figure came into view. It was a house, brown and green, so it blended in. It was nice and secluded; no one would be able to find me!

I ran the rest of the distance towards the house. I stopped at the front porch, second thoughts flooded my mind.

"_What if someone lives here already?"_

I walked up the porch steps to the front door. I knocked softly.

No answer.

I tried again, louder this time.

Still no answer.

I turned the doorknob and swung the door open. The place was deserted. I walked in and around the first floor. There were no signs of life. Just a kitchen, a sitting room that had a phone, and a mud room. I traveled up the stairs from the kitchen. There was a small attic with a bed and tons of room to move around. There was also a bureau, a mirror, and a chest. I was giddy! I skipped down the stairs and into the sitting room. There, I saw a door that I must have missed before. I opened it. There was a set of stairs leading downward. Curious, I followed them down. About halfway down, something scurried across my foot. I stopped short and waited to see if it would happen again. Nothing happened. I traveled down some more when my foot landed on something and crunched it. There were sounds of little legs moving across wood. I ran to the bottom and reached for a light. My hands felt a string and I pulled on it.

The light clicked on. And hundreds of cockroaches scurried out of it. I screamed. Then I looked around. There was a pile of things in the corner, all labeled Bug Killers. I grabbed one of them.

**ACME Cockroach Killer**

I flipped it over for directions.

_To use, simply grab nozzle and spray in the directions of cockroaches. __**ACME **__isn't responsible for any burns, poisonings, hallucinations, or death that may come from using our cockroach killer. If you experience any of the above, call your doctor immediately There will be no refunds if you get a faulty bottle. Good Luck!_

I rolled my eyes. What was **ACME** coming to? They used to build quality products! Nonetheless, I pointed the nozzle in the direction that I had saw most of the cockroaches run in, held my breath, and sprayed. Then I did it in another direction. And another. And another!

I laughed. For some reason, killing bugs made me feel better! Strange therapy.

I went up the stairs with the bottle in hand. Being down there made me feel dizzy. I looked at the bottle in my hand.

_Could this help me?_

An idea began forming in my head. I dropped the bottle and ran to find paper and some red marker. There were some in the top kitchen cabinet. I began brain storming, frantically jotting my thoughts down. When dusk had dwindled into night and the first stars finally gleamed in the sky, I was done!

**Senor Bugsy's Bug Extermination Company.**

Hours: 8:00am – 6:00pm

Rates: $2 per hour. Price may vary depending on size of infestation.

To contact, call 781-440-0171

Specializes in cockroaches.

I was on my way!

* * *

Gee, and I thought I was gonna have tons of time this summer! Sorry for the massive delay. I wrote a lot to make up for it! And I'm getting closer to the actual plot of the play! I guess I gotta explain some things.

First, I'm sorry if you are disturbed by my sick ideas that Maren has to be subjected to, but I didn't call it **Troubled** **Intern's Past** for nothing! I know I may be going a bit far, but I interviewed Maren myself (Yes, she's a real person!) and this is like she described it, with my own little touch. Actually, she only made up the finding the house in the middle of the woods with all the bug extermination stuff and I did the rest! And yes, I did ask her permission to write this story. So, if you uncomfortable with my ideas, stop reading. It's that simple!

Secondly, I do not own the idea of **ACME**, and the fight moves in the deminstration and after 2 years. Except for the Flying Leap of Death, that's all mine! The others are copyrighted of the big companies. I think Warner Bros. invented **ACME** and the moves in the fight scenes were inspired from the Cell Block Tango moves. So those are copyrighted by Miramax.

As I mentioned above, Maren is a real person. All the people in this play were based off real people. Yes, Maren, Caramia, Lt. Ricky, Trenchy Mouthscam, Pat, Olivia, and Rachel are all (based off) real people with real lives. And, if they are reading this, and would like me to stop writing about this, please leave me a review with your name in real life and the name of our drama club teacher in the 2009-2010 year, just to be sure that it's really you. I know I don't have to worry about Maren and Rachel! Thanks guys!

Finally, please don't call the number to order Senor Bugsy's Bug Extermination service. Just, don't.

I want to give a HUGE thanks to all my reviewers out there. Thanks for supporting me, and bearing with me through writers block! I promise that all this will make a whole lot more sense by the sixth, maybe seventh chapter. You guys rock!

Peace out readers! I'm done with this chapter!

Father of Maren: But you're gonna write another, _right_?

Maren: (pulls out her scarf)

Em: (gulps) Of course.

Maren: YAY!

Stay awesome!

-Em Cabot


	5. Chapter 55

People of the Internet! I am not dead! See? I'm right here writing this to you. Hi!

I'm SO sorry that I haven't updated in so long! School started, and new story ideas came to mind. I've been distracted as well as stuck. It's not a very good combination, let me tell you! So, I finally decided to put up... a PREVIEW!

*crickets*

Fine. It's not exactly what you wanted, but I'm really stuck for ideas. I've had lots of help with developing this next chapter, and I'm still relying on that help. But, for now, here's a almost 700 word preview to settle you. You'll notice that this is named accordingly as "Chapter 5.5" You'll get the rest later, when I can settle down and focus on this so it can be the best for my readers. Guys, thanks so much for being so patient. I love ya, I couldn't have done this without ya, and thanks for being so patient.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this preview:

* * *

Here's a note to all of you young runaways looking for jobs: Adults don't take you seriously when you're eight years old and offer to exterminate their house for bugs.

House after house, door after door, person after endless person, all the same answer. "No thank you" a lewd comment and a slammed door in the face. But, among all the comments, the naysayers, the smart alecs, there was one good piece of advice. A suggestion if you want to call it that.

"Shine some shoes, kid."

It was made by a very pregnant woman who already had 3 kids, who were jumping around her asking who was at the door and if "Daddy" had come home. I thanked her and exited her front porch, feeling a lot better than when I had first stepped onto it.

Shoe shining! Why hadn't I thought of that before? I could save bug extermination for when I was older, and knew how to use dangerous chemicals! Shoe shining was easy, and didn't cost much. I'd just need some shoe shine, a rag, and a box or two for people to sit down and put their feet on! It was perfect!

I skipped down the street and into town, pulling my red wagon of bug killing poisons behind me. I was going to go and take down the signs that I had put up earlier that day when someone grabbed my arm and covered my mouth, dragging me into an alley

I panicked. This had never happened without it being some kind of test with Pat and Olivia and Rachel! This was real, and it was happening now. And I wouldn't let everything that two years of training taught me go to waste. So, I did what any sane eight year old would do.

I clamped down on his hand and elbowed his stomach. He released me for a moment with a very familiar scream. Using that moment, I ran for the exit of the alley. But, he caught me again, and held me tighter this time. I tried to fight back, but he held me at arms length.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" A familiar voice spoke. I stopped struggling and looked up to see who my captor was.

"Pat!" I yelled, almost knocking him over with a hug. "Where's Olivia and Rachel? Can I come and live with you guys again?"

"Maren." Pat said, brushing off my question. "We need to talk."

The seriousness of his voice made me scared. "Pat? Where's Olivia and Rachel?"

"They're fine." Pat answered. "But we need to talk."

I gulped and nodded, not liking where this was going.

"Remember how we found each other?" Pat asked. "In the alleyway 2 years ago?"

I nodded, the visions of that day coming back.

"And you remember what happened before we saw you?" Pat assumed. I nodded. "Well no one else can know about that. Do you understand?"

I nodded again. "But-"

"This is serious Maren!" Pat exclaimed, tightening his grip on my arm. "If anyone finds out what happened in that alley..." He shook his head gravely. "I don't know what would happen. But it wouldn't be good, I can tell you that. You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone. Can you do that Maren?"

I nodded and said quietly, but strongly, "I promise that I won't tell a soul."

Pat nodded. "You always were a good kid, even if you did kick the crap out of me." He turned to leave the alleyway.

"Pat!" I called. He turned back. "Can I come back with you?"

He shook his head. "No. Those guys from yesterday are still looking for you. You need to find some place to hide.

"I did." I reassured him. "I'll keep my promise."

Pat stood there for a moment, then, turned and began walking out of the alleyway again. I watched him go. Then, I sat down, hugged my knees to my chest, and cried, wondering how my life had ever gotten so messed up.


End file.
